A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) is the first volume in George R. R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin's stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction -- as you'll quickly discover in A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1).

A Game of Thrones

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

2011 - SCREAM AwardsBest TV Show
Best Supporting Actor - Peter Dinklage
Best Breakout Performance: Female - Emilia Clarke
Emmy AwardOUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Peter Dinklage
OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN - “The Wolf and the Lion” - Angus Wall, Robert Feng, Kirk H. Shintani, Hameed Shaukat
Emmy nominations - OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES - Peter Dinklage
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL
OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES (NON-PROSTHETIC)
OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES
OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION
OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES
OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES

I had to write this so I could comment on the synopsis on the main page. I doubt whoever wrote it ever read the book. The line that winters last four decades is ….like someone wrote this by reading misspelled cliffnotes It's made clear in the book that the season lengths vary greatly. The original jacket cover has a line "winters can last for decades" another line is that some characters fight with magic.... in Game of Thrones I'm trying to remember what character even uses magic much less fights with magic.There are other issues as well but the overall impression I got from the reviewer is that his is a great but generic fantasy trilogy (FYI not a trilogy. 4 of 7 planned books written so far) . The book and series is so much more than that. The characters are rich and deep. The villains, as well as the heroes. Just because someone is good doesn't mean horrible things won't happen to them. Just because someone is "evil" doesn't mean they will stay that way or even that they really are. And that's the beauty of these books, you get to walk a mile in the shoes of these characters because of the "point of view" style of writing.To classify this book as high fantasy is akin to saying that having a lemon slice in your water means you're eating a lemon. The fantasy elements are there, but are slight, and give flavor to the story rather than the story giving us a reason for the magic.I appreciate the writers justified appreciation for the author, but a more accurate synopsis of this amazing book and series is needed.